Taking Baby Steps
by MissSteph22
Summary: He should have been prepared for this. Months of careful reading and research had guaranteed him the basic knowledge for such a task. But, the moment the front door closed, Simon was left alone, and he couldn't have been more terrified. How difficult could it be? The chipmunk would just have to take this step at a time... Cartoon-verse.


**Well... I'm not sure what to say about this oneshot, but I hope you enjoy!**

**P.S - The Chipmunks and Chipettes belong to Ross Bagdasarian Jr. and Janice Karman.**

* * *

He should have been prepared for this. Months of careful reading and research had guaranteed him the basic knowledge for such a task. But, the moment the front door closed, Simon was left alone, and he couldn't have been more terrified.

Sure, he proclaimed himself ready months ago, and whilst he was sure of all the necessities, he just wasn't sure if he had the practical skills needed. It wasn't exactly his area of expertise. Even if it had been a few weeks now.

He glanced nervously at the flight of stairs, and proceeded to creep as silently as he could up them. The chipmunk had no idea what would be waiting for him - this would either be easier than thought, or his worst nightmare. No, not his _worst _nightmare, but definitely a cause for bad migraines. Tugging at his collar, he edged down the hallway, and stopped dead in front of a slightly open door. He could smell the powder already. Holding his breath, he entered the room - dotted with pastels - and made his way to the crib. In it, lay a sleeping baby.

His baby.

Only twelve weeks old, the baby lay fast asleep with a mobile whirling above. Small eyelashes rested against soft cheeks, and Simon swore he never saw the child look more peaceful than they did right there. A pity for what he was about to do next. Checking his watch, he made sure that it was time to let the baby wake up. Jeanette tended to know more about this than he did, but now that she had to return to work, this meant that for the first time, he was left alone with the baby. Luckily he had a week's vacation so they didn't have to worry about finding a babysitter just yet. Well, Jeanette didn't have to worry. For Simon, this was an entirely new and frightening experience. Before, he had been able to take care of the child with his wife's help. But never unaccompanied.

This should be nice and easy. Just reach in, and be gentle. Slowly exhaling, he moved his foot slightly, only to have the floorboard let out a tremendous creak. Instantly, the baby's eyes shot wide open. Vivid and bright, and staring at him. All the chipmunk could do was stare back, heart thumping wildly in his chest until eventually his daughter let out a shrill cry. Her face was burning - bright red as she let tears stream down her cheeks.

_No, no! _Simon thought to himself as he reached into the crib and picked her up. Honestly, he didn't understand why all the authors would say people sleep like babies, because clearly, babies are incredibly easy to wake up. He tried to nestle the baby into his arms whilst gently shushing her. Crying was definitely a sound he didn't like hearing from her, but one he was growing accustomed to. It was the kind of sound that echoed throughout the house, thanks to the many baby monitors. Rocking her back and forth, Simon wondered why she might be crying, other than alarm at her rude awakening. He went through each of the possibilities in his head, then he remembered - food! Digging a hand into his pocket, he produced a bottle of milk which had been prepared before Jeanette left.

"You hungry? Huh?" He poised the bottle at his daughter's lips, and instantly her cries were placated. She readily accepted it. "Here you go."

She drank the milk with no problem, Simon only having to wipe her chin on the odd occasion where some would spill. Whilst she was drinking, the chipmunk started to think about what he needed to do next. He'd need to clean the bottle, and make sure another one would be ready for her next feed. What else? He glanced around the room, observing the large piles of stuffed animals - gifts from the family. Sitting opposite from the crib was a changing table, decked out with packs of nappies, cream, and wet wipes. He grimaced slightly.

_Of course._

Once he was sure that she was finished, he took the bottle away and put it back in his pocket. Next, he lifted her into the air slightly to sniff. _Yes, definitely needs changing._ The chipmunk rested his daughter on the changing table, which resulted in confused sounds and her legs kicking the air.

_Okay, Simon, _he thought, mentally preparing himself. _You can do this._ It was just a nappy change - if anything, this should be easy. He _certainly _wasn't going to act like a certain brother of his, who somehow ended up fathering twins. Well then. If Alvin could cope with two babies, then Simon - the smart one - could _absolutely _take care of one.

His stomach felt a little uneasy.

"Wait there," he said to his daughter, gesturing for her to stay, even though she was incapable of walking. Quickly, he dashed through to the master bedroom and threw open the doors to the closet. Trying to find what he was looking proved to be difficult - it was hardly a cacophony of colour in their closet. He and Jeanette happened to like similar colours, hence finding a scarf amongst the sea of purple and blue was no easy task. But eventually, he found one lying at the bottom. _Perfect._

Hurrying back through to the nursery, he started to wrap it around his neck.

"We'll, uh, keep this between you and me, okay?" It was more like a statement than anything, as Simon covered half of his face with the scarf before proceeding to unbutton the baby's romper suit. He felt awful, but somewhat better having masked the smell. He prayed that this wasn't something Alvin would do. Jeanette wouldn't be impressed if she knew about this, but the chipmunk wasn't taking chances. Not today. He undid the nappy and started to clean with the greatest of care. From all the articles he read, it was important to do this right, otherwise the baby might get a nappy rash. He couldn't possibly wish something as unpleasant as that on his baby girl.

He couldn't help but smile at the gurgle of delight that was let out upon the feeling of having a clean nappy on.

Simon assumed that the next thing to do was to put some new clothes on the baby. The romper suit was already off, so it made sense. He glanced at the pile of clothes on the shelf underneath and pondered for a moment. He hadn't a clue how to dress a girl. The chipmunk desperately tried to think back to moments he watched Jeanette change the baby, what she would dress their daughter in. Looking through the pile, he pulled out a periwinkle dress with white flowers stitched on. This should do. But the material was quite thin, and the sleeves weren't very long. Would this be enough? He looked at the pile again. Usually Jeanette dresses her in tights. No. He instantly rejected that idea. He did _not _want to wrestle with legs that had recently learned to kick. Socks would have to do. So with that, he dug out a pair of white frilly socks and - with effort - tugged them onto his daughter's tiny feet. Next, he pulled her arms through the sleeves of the dress after pulling it over her head. Done. It wasn't perfect, but she was clothed.

* * *

"What are you pointing at?" He tried to follow the direction of his daughter's waving hand. All he really knew was that she was looking in the general direction of the door that led to his lab. Then he realised. She's probably heard him carry out experiments in there before, and wonders why mysterious noises come from a simple door. "Oh. That's Daddy's laboratory. I'm afraid you won't be going in there for a _very long time._ Not until you're at least a few years older."

If she was going to take after both her parents - especially her mother - then a young child like herself in a laboratory was a recipe for disaster.

Simon's sudden serious expression must have alarmed the baby, for instantly she started to cry. Panicked, he shook his head.

"No, no, no. Don't do this again, _please!" _This was the fourth time today. It was late afternoon, and after trying to entertain her with rattles, teddy bears, and music, she still wasn't completely content. Even having a lunchtime feed - albeit messy - wasn't enough. Simon was completely worn down, hair sticking out at all ends, eyes convincingly wide but tired. He was looking around the living room, searching for some kind of answer. Then a familiar book sitting on the coffee table caught his attention. He picked it up with one hand and went to sit on the sofa, juggling the baby in his arm. "You want to look through the family photos?"

Her crying ceased, now perplexed at the sight of a leather-bound album in her father's hand. Simon took this as his cue to open it. The first photograph was of Jeanette in her wedding dress.

"Who's that, huh? Is that Mom?" The baby stared, then cooed at the mention of her mother. "Yeah, that's Mom. Doesn't she look beautiful?"

The chipmunk gazed at the photo for a while, reminiscing. He remembered that day so vividly, like it was yesterday. He'd never forget the day he married the love of his life.

The page was turned, and on the next photograph was his older brother, grinning a wide grin. His daughter made a gurgling sound and placed a hand on the photo.

"You recognise him, do you?" He wasn't actually sure if she could at this age, but it was still fun to gauge her reactions. "Yeah, that's your Uncle Alvin. He's quite a character, your Uncle Alvin. Sometimes more of a handful than you, you know."

Out of nowhere, a giggle erupted from her small, pursed lips. Her mouth stretched into a gummy smile and the corners of her eyes crinkled. She couldn't stop laughing. Simon's heart stopped beating for a moment, as he witnessed his first-born laugh. It was a mesmerising sight, and he was speechless. He swelled with an unfamiliar sense of pride, and starting to join her.

"Yeah?" His voice had dropped to a considerably softer tone. "You think that's funny?"

He lifted her so that she was directly facing him and studied her features. Steel-grey eyes, just like his own. They were twinkling with mirth and innocence, and Simon swore he never wanted to see it fade. He wondered when the day could come, that he and Jeanette would be sitting in a doctor's office, helping their child pick out a pair of glasses. In terms of genes, it was certainly shaping up to be that way, but he dreaded the moments where she would be bumping into objects in the lead-up to that appointment as a bumbling toddler. Could she even see him right now? She continued to smile. If one thing was for certain, she had her mother's smile. Warm and sweet. It melted his heart each time.

He was about to speak, but suddenly two small, chubby hands were on his face, pushing his blue frames in an upwards motion.

"Hello there," he said with a laugh. Her smile had been replaced with an expression of sheer wonder and amazement. Simon never knew he could feel so strongly for an infant, but he knew that this feeling was for life. He promised on the day of her birth to protect her and love her, and the easiest thing out of all the things he had to do for the baby, was keeping that promise. Regardless of how she'd be when she matured - good or bad - his love for her would never fade. Ever.

His reverie broke when he saw his daughter let out a tremendous yawn. Smiling, he ran a hand through her soft tufts of hair and lay her against his chest.

"Feeling sleepy? I guess a little nap wouldn't hurt, right?" As he was saying this, he felt himself beginning to drift off.

* * *

It was evening when the chipette finally returned home, exhausted from a whole day back at work. Needless to say, she had been looking forward to coming home. She removed her jacket and entered the living room, about to greet her husband but paused. A picture perfect scene was playing in front of her.

Both Simon and their daughter were on the sofa, fast asleep, both nestled into each other.

Looks like they bonded while she was away. Just what she wanted.

* * *

**I don't really know how to write babies, and I don't really know much about babies, but I couldn't stop imagining a scenario where Simon has a care for one on his own. I have a slight headcanon where no matter how prepared he is for having a baby, when it's time for him to take care of one alone, he freaks out a little. You probably noticed the baby's name was ambiguous as well - I wanted to leave her name up to the imaginations of the readers. Anyway, I hope you liked it! **

**Peace, love, and COOKIES! ~ MissSteph22 x :)**


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